Behind the Veil
by MHCynogriffon
Summary: When Kili eavesdrops on his Uncle and hears the word Hobbit, he is immediately curious. What he finds though is less impressive than he thought it would be. However, the Shire has changed since Gandalf had last been there. It's more dangerous than before. And things will become more personal to the dwarves.
1. Chapter 1

**This was an OLD fic I wrote that turned out surprisingly good when I re-read it. THis one won't have as regular updates as Together or Not at All.**

Ch.1

In the Blue Mountains:

"Hobbits are fat, notoriously lazy creatures not worth mentioning in this book."

Dwalin raised one bushy eyebrow in disbelief, snatching the book Kili was reading from and looking at it for himself, "Come on laddie, does it really say that?" He read the line, chuckling.  
Kili, tired from a long day of researching, grabbed the book back from Dwalin's hands and said, "Well, this is called The Best History Book Ever Written."

His brother, Fili, huffed and tucked his own book back in the sparsely stocked shelf it came from, "Some dwarves can be so stuck-up." His book, with nothing to lean against, fell over.

"Says you," Kili laughed, clocking his older sibling over the head, a common form of affection between the two. Fili gave him his customary warning glare that promised a thrashing if Kili touched him again. "Anyways, we're not learning much here are we?" Kili continued. The young dwarf had started the research sitting up against a shelf, but had gradually moved down until he was laying flat on the floor holding the book open over his head.

Thrusting some neatly-stacked books to the side, Dwalin joined Kili on the floor, albeit a little more stiffly, "Kili's right, this whole thing's been rather useless"

"Was not!" Fili insisted as he dusted off the book Dwalin had abandoned, "My book was much more informative."

Dwalin ignored him and began to look around the numerous shelves from his position on the floor, "I never thought I'd be in a library again. Erebor had quite a big one I remember, Balin used to drag me in and force me to read."

"Balin used to be able to drag you?" Kili said, trying to imagine the thick, muscular Dwalin being dragged down halls by the shorter and somewhat-less-impressive Balin.

"Only for a few years," Dwalin assured him. A silence settled over them until a crash and startled yell a few isles over alerted them to another dwarf who had found the library challenging.

Fili snorted in his big, superior brother way, "Let's not get off topic, alright?"

Kili nodded, paused, and then asked, "Which was?"

Fili rolled his eyes, which he did a lot around Kili, "You remember Kili. Hobbits."

"Oh, yeah."

"So we found only three books on the subject, and two of them had the exact same entries." Fili went over while organizing the three books alphabetically in their shelf. They immediately fell over again. "Well, at least we learned something,"

"Yeah," Kili said, shifting so he could lean back on one of the rarely used cushions scattered around the room, "I learned that books are more boring than I remember."

Dwalin furrowed his brow, "Hobbits don't sound anything like burglars."

"After all," Kili joked, "they aren't good enough for The Best History Book Ever Written," He held up the book and shook it while grinning at Fili, who simply rolled his eyes. His mother was always telling him that if he rolled his eyes at every ridiculous thing Kili did they were going to get stuck at the back of his head.

Trying to be serious, Fili rescued the book from Kili, "This book is not accurate in any way and the author probably died by falling down his own stairs."

"Despite all the stupidity, what it said was kind of what all the other books said," Dwalin reminded him.

Fili sighed, "You're right, whatever they're like, Hobbits don't sound like burglars suitable enough to go on our quest. Are you sure that you heard right Kili?"

Hearing his name, Kili looked up and nodded, "My eavesdropping skills are as good as ever. In the meeting, Gandalf said that he had chosen a Hobbit of the Shire to be our fourteenth companion. Then again, maybe Gandalf's gone mad? He always looked a bit loopy to me."

"Nah," Dwalin shook his head, "Thorin wouldn't be putting so much trust in him if he was crazy."

"Birds of the feather," Kili muttered, dodging Fili's fist.

Dwalin huffed, tired of their arguing and frustrated that they had found nothing, and stood up, "Well if it's not too much trouble, I am going to finish some important matters that need to be taken care of."

Kili watched as the older dwarf left, "Probably only came so we wouldn't destroy the library. Why do we need a fourteenth person anyways?"

"You wouldn't leave with just thirteen!" Fili said, shocked.

"Why not?" Kili asked, hugging a cushion to his chest, "It's just a number, no one really believes in that stuff anymore."

"Just a number!" Fili shook his head in disbelief, "It's the most unlucky number of all! Surely you know that? Prince Duclain of the Iron Hills left with thirteen and they were all eaten by wargs in the forests."

Kili shrugged, "I just don't get why that matters. And if it does, why did Thorin let Gandalf choose anyway? We could have brought Gimli."

"I think he insisted. Uncle Thorin hasn't told me much yet; he said to wait until we're at the burglar's house."

Kili understood, Thorin rarely let his plans out in the open, and they trusted him enough to go along with what he asked of them. He was the King, after all.

Both brothers left the library, arms on each other's shoulders, talking enthusiastically about the adventure before them, not yet realizing that their adventure would start much sooner than they thought.  
252525252525252525252525252  
The Shire:

In a house on a hill, there lived a Hobbit. This particular Hobbit was nothing special; he had furry feat, a full head of brown curls, and friendly brown eyes. His house was unlike other Hobbit's because while other Hobbits usually lived in holes in the sides of the hills that spotted the Shire, this Hobbit lived in a huge house on top of one of those hills. This Hobbit's name was Bilbo Baggins and he lived in this house with his gardener, Hamfast. Well, Hamfast and some others that really don't need to be mentioned just quite yet in this part of the story.  
Something was wrong with the Shire, something had been wrong for quite a long time. It didn't really look wrong from the outside, and it didn't even seem wrong in some parts of the inside. But it smelled wrong and felt wrong and even sounded wrong in some places. Although Bilbo wasn't terribly concerned since this wrongness didn't really affect him, but he did try to help out every now and then. It made him feel better about living right next to the wrongness but not being touched. His efforts were appreciated somewhat by the hobbits smothered in the wrongness. That made him happy. He didn't like seeing, or smelling, or feeling wrong in any way.

Besides all the wrong, life was going pretty good for him on that house on a hill, high above the holes and rickety shelters that reeked of wrongness. His gardener kept him company and the house was incredibly comfortable. He ate good food and socialized with other people who weren't touched by the Wrong (most of those people didn't even try to help; this also made him feel better.) Everything was fine, but every story has the beginning where everything is fine. And then they have that unfine moment where everything goes wrong. Bilbo's unfine event was the appearance of a wizard in a grey cloak and pointy hat. The wizard appeared one chance morning at his doorstep and Bilbo did not understand because the wizard seemed completely unfazed by the wrongness around him.

"Would you like to share in an adventure?"

Please, please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.2

After passing the giant oak tree that stood on top of a hill, Balin and Dwalin were truly lost. Neither had been to the Shire before so they had both been given detailed instructions on how to get to the burglar's house. Unfortunately, these instructions had begun at the entrance to the Shire, so they didn't have any idea how to get to the actual Shire and the vague map Gandalf had given them wasn't helping all that much. The only landmark they could see on the map was some big thing that was only a line on the map. The map didn't have a key or any inscription on it, but Balin was sure it was a wall or something. However, Gandalf had not mentioned a wall (or anything else for that matter.) Dwalin said it looked like a line of trees. Either way, they didn't know if they could make it to the Hobbit burglar's house on time. Or how the rest of the dwarves would.

They decided to take a little break by the oak tree and try to figure out a way to go about finding the Shire and getting to the glowing mark Gandalf had said he had left behind on the burglar's door.

"If he even did," Dwalin muttered in a demeaning tone, "I'd say the wizard meant for us to get lost for all that he told us."

Balin, always the one to look for the best in people, gave his younger but not young brother a stern look and went back to discussing their problem. As Balin talked, Dwalin's mind drifted away from the one-sided conversation and he began to drift off to the back of his mind. He started to go over the different battle tactics they might need to use in their journey. It had been years since he had needed such things; he needed to be ready for the enemies along the road and those at the end of it. He had long dreamed of going back to Erebor. The idea that he could finally return exited him beyond belief. Thorin's talks about overtaking Smaug were inspiring, but he knew that a lot more than talk would be needed.

"Dwalin! Dwalin! Are you... Oh, never mind." His brother's voice chastised his distraction.

"I'm listening, Balin," he lied, "Just got sidetracked for that last sentence."

Balin sighed and repeated his sentence, "I said that I think I found this hill on the map."

Dwalin scrambled across and peered over Balin's shoulder, "Really?"

"I think it's that curvy line right there, which means…" he drew his hand up to the right, "That is where we need to go." His finger pointed a little more South than East, but still in between.

Accepting his brother's word as true, Dwalin swept up the gear that he had preciously dumped on the ground, "Well, we better be going before it's dark. Don't want to be late for dinner, do we?" His old humor returned as they set off to the right.

2525252525252525

A few hours later, the two dwarves arrived at the strange line on the map that blocked them from their destination. In reality, the line appeared to be a huge wall that towered far above the dwarves' heads with one towering gate. It seemed that Balin's guess was true, although neither dwarf had been expecting a barrier of this magnitude. The entire thing was made from smooth limestone and reached maybe ten meters tall. From what Balin could see, the walls stretched around the entire Shire. They stood a few feet back, looking up at the side; neither Gandalf nor Thorin had mentioned anything like this.

"Blasted wizards," Dwalin had muttered upon seeing the sheer size of the wall and gate, "You would have thought he would warn us about this… thing. Well, no use complaining now, what should we do Balin? Knock? Or would it be more polite to shout?"

Balin, who was not quite sure how to handle this situation, wasn't appreciating Dwalin's angry humor, "I don't know what to do. From what Thorin told me, Hobbits couldn't make such a thing, not by themselves. Nor would they need to, being such peaceful creatures and living so far out. Also, this looks like the work of Man to me." Both of them were well trained in stonework and such things, and could easily tell the difference between the structures of Elf, Dwarf, and Man.

"Aye, I'll agree with you there. Definitely the product of Man, but according to the map the nearest village with Men is many days of travel off. Why would a wall of this size be here? And when was it built?"

The top of the battlements, where guards would usually be, were strangely empty. No one seemed to be on look out, Hobbit or otherwise. Both dwarves stood there staring up at the wall and wondering what they should do.

"Maybe we should wait for Fili and Kili." Balin suggested after a while, "Wouldn't mind having the lads along for…backup or something. This place gives me chills and we haven't even seen the inside."

Dwalin consented to waiting for Thorin's kin. "Probably good to be cautious for once in our lives," He reasoned, rather uncharacteristically.

So they sat down with their backs against the stone wall, the top still strangely absent of guards. It was silent, not even a bird chirped. This added to Balin's discomfort and he found himself anticipating the younger pair of brothers' arrival.

Must be growing old, He thought.

Dwalin, on the other hand, was pulling grass out of the ground and twisting it until it broke like he was still a dwarfling. Of course he would be the brother who seemed to never age.

It wasn't long before Balin could hear Fili and Kili. Per usual, he overheard them arguing before he even saw them, their annoyed-but-not-really voices echoing among the many small hills that seemed to be everywhere.

"Kili, I know that we're close!" That was Fili's deep, reassuring big brother voice.

"No we aren't! See that line there? Where is that, may I ask?" Apparently both of them were too engrossed in arguing they couldn't see the huge wall right in front of them.

"Kili. It's. Right. There." Fili had put on his Kili-you-are-an-idiot voice. He seemed to have a lot of different voices. Most of them revolved around Kili.

Kili's mutter reply couldn't be heard, but Balin could finally see them coming over the top of a hill. It would be hard to tell they were brothers if one didn't know them. Their looks were as different as night and day. Fili had inherited his father's deep golden locks and serious attitude, much like a great, golden lion. Kili, however, was Dis's mirror image. His dark brown curls were almost always messy and he acted more like an excited puppy than a regal lion. Not that Balin would ever repeat that allegory out loud. Fili had Thorin's bearing and sharp gaze while Kili was practically skipping along, looking at every new thing with endless enthusiasm.

Dwalin hailed them with a loud shout and Kili waved back, grinning widely, while Fili simply nodded. They joined them at the wall's gate a few minutes later. Greeting their elders only after they had spent quite a while gazing up at the wall.

"Well," Balin said, "Do you think we should knock?"

Fili was the one to reply, "There don't seem to be many people around, do you think anyone would answer?"

"It is really quiet, the birds stopped chirping quite a ways back" Kili agreed, "Isn't this the work of Man? I didn't know that they had come this far east."

Dwalin, never one to wait, spoke up, "Well, might as well go forward, no use sitting here and speculating about what is ahead."

The other dwarves agreed and followed Dwalin past uneven clumps of withered dandelions to directly in front of the gate. The musty smell of oak wafted from the wide gateway; Balin's trained eye picked out the rust on the joints of the bolts attached to the stone wall. For such an impressive size, the gate wasn't in the best condition.

"One good hit with a 'ram would send that contraption down. Not exactly a great way to keep people out," commented Dwalin.

"But look at those bolts. The way they're made there are heavy iron bars on this side instead of on the inside, it's almost as if it was created to keep people in instead of out." Kili observed, pointing one gloved finger to the rusty bolts Balin had seen before.

"He's right," Fili said, "This gate doesn't seem to be designed to protect the people inside, it looks more like a prison door. Are we going in?"

Balin nodded, and in that moment, the gate before them began to creak open. It was obvious that it hadn't done so in a while, the rusty bolts creating a grating sound rather like nails on chalkboard. As it slowly opened, the dwarves peered inside and caught a glimpse of the people pulling the chains that opened the door. They were definitely Men.

Once the door was completely opened, a group of the men approached the dwarves. Three of them were dressed in what looked like guard uniforms while the fourth was clad in more informal clothes. The fourth was in the front and was the obvious leader.

"My dear Sirs," The man began, "I must apologize for our lack of a welcome, it has been nigh a year since we have had any sort of visitor here. Much less Dwarves." His voice was smooth and had a Western accent that Balin usually associated with Gondorians.

Balin, after waving Dwalin's hand away from his axe, stepped forward, "Apology accepted, we have had yet to see another soul since Bree, two days back. Let me introduce ourselves: I am Balin son of Fundin and these are my companions, Dwalin, Fili, and Kili."

"My name is Baradaur son of Baradcarth. Please, you are welcome inside. We are a peaceful city." The man, Baradaur, replied. He gestured towards the city with his hand before turning and walking back with the guards. Satisfied with Baradaur's response, Balin followed.

"If I may ask, what need do you have of such a wall?" Balin asked Baradaur, "This seems such a peaceful land, it seems a bit much."

Baradaur answered quickly, "We have no need of it during the warm seasons, in these times it is much of an inconvenience. However, during the winter months, the lakes separating us from the Wild Lands usually freeze over. During that time, wolves and other such creatures find their way over. We've found this wall to be the best protector, even if it is a bit extreme."

Balin nodded, although the answer sounded a bit fake to him, "A wall of that magnitude must have taken a long time to build, how long has it been there."

"A few years, not too long though."

They entered the city, passing under the poorly constructed gate and treading on decorative stonework. As Kili had noticed, the iron bolts were placed on the wrong side of the door. As the gate closed, Balin remembered the rest of their company.

"We have a few more coming this way, if you would be so kind as to keep a watch for them." He told Baradaur, "They'll most likely be altogether."

Baradaur nodded and ordered two of the guards to wait by the gate. Balin bowed his head in thanks. After taking care of his company, Balin had time to look around. The inside of the city was drastically different from what the dwarves had expected from the dreary outside. The small hills were consistent but someone had leveled out parts of them to make way for a central road. Stone houses rose up against the hills with some of them even being built into the grassy mounds. Bright green grass grew everywhere around the stone buildings. It was rich and thick with flowers peppering it at random intervals.

Over to his left were multiple fruit orchards. Juicy red apples bending the branches they grew on and pears scattered on the ground. Everything looked very well cared after and tended. But some things stood out oddly to Balin. For one, barely any Hobbits were out. Although he had never seen them, Balin could easily recognize the small, bushy-headed creatures. Occasionally one or two would dart out of sheds built around the orchards to get a few tools left on the ground. And another thing, the houses looked far too big for a single Hobbit or even a family of Hobbits. The stone wall buildings were almost mansions and could have held many Men. Balin had noticed this as well as the vastness of the fields and gardens. Along the winding central road, Balin could see little dips where small holes had been dug out in some of the littler hills. The quietness of the place began to give the dwarf chills and he relayed his observations to Dwalin in a whisper so the guards escorting them didn't overhear. Dwalin agreed with him quietly and pulled the Fili and Kili beside him to tell them as well.

"Yeah, I noticed that something looked a bit odd here," said Fili, "Gandalf said that this place was only populated by Hobbits, so why do there seem to be only Men around?"

Dwalin hushed him, "We'll have plenty of time to ask questions once we get to where ever this Baradaur is taking us."

They continued the short walk in silence, Balin trying to gather as much information as he could from his surroundings. Soon, Baradaur turned to speak.

"We call this our Great Hall," He gestured toward the building in front of them. The paved road they had been following lead straight up to the doorway.

This building was different from the others. It appeared more decorative with gold inlays and the stone was polished so much the sun glared off of it.

"Our Governor lives here, as do all of the guests who find their way here." Baradaur lead them up to the door, which was promptly opened by two guards. Inside was even more extravagant than the outside. The foyer was bright and circular with a tall ceiling and marble statues along the sides.

"Where do you get all this stuff?" asked Fili, "This Shire doesn't have any such resources to create a building like this."

Baradaur smiled rather haughtily, "We have a good trade establishment with Gondor and other kingdoms nearer to us. Now the governor is doing business right now and he'll want to see you as soon as possible. Please wait here until he is ready." Then he left the room.

"Well that was rude," Kili muttered, he then drifted off to look at the statues.

"This is not what I was expecting," commented Balin, "We arrive here expecting a small town and find that someone had erected a wall and established a full kingdom."

Dwalin agreed with him, "I'm beginning to wonder if Gandalf even knew about this, he did say that it had been a while since he came here. And Valar knows how long 'a while' is for a wizard."

The two brothers and Fili began discussing what the best course of action would be until, almost half an hour later, the door opened and the rest of the company came crowding in. Thorin arriving last with a disgruntled look on his face.

"Hey!" Dwalin, Fili, and Kili shouted as they rushed to greet their kinsmen.

Balin gave a customary nod of greeting to the other dwarves but headed straight for Thorin, who had brushed off his surprise and was standing regally behind the cluster of dwarves.

"Thorin, I don't like this," Balin admitted after they had caught up, "This place feels wrong."

"I know what you mean. That wall outside shouldn't be there, and neither should these buildings." Thorin agreed, "These Men are Gondorian and not from the East. They should not be this far South at all. Gandalf may be …aggravating at times, but he would not have sent us here without mentioning this."

"I thought the same. Should we continue with finding the burglar? Or shall we carry on our quest alone?"

"No, we find Gandalf's burglar. We need the wizard on our side." Thorin declared, glancing around the room.

Before Balin could reply, Baradaur reappeared.

"Our Governor can see you now. Oh, I see the rest of your companions have arrived." He beaconed them towards the door he had just come through. Thorin, naturally falling into his position of leader, lead the dwarves behind the Man. Baradaur guided them down a long hallway and into another room. The twelve dwarves had a hard time getting through the door, but soon they were all gathered behind Thorin facing the only Man other than Baradaur in the room.

This new man was dressed richly in regal fur robes not unlike Thorin's own. He had chestnut brown hair that fell in waves around his shoulders and matched his eyes. Balin had no doubt of this man's power, it radiated from him much like it did from Thorin.

Thorin sensed the same feeling as Balin as he bowed his head in a sign of respect. The other dwarves did as their leader did.

The Man rose from the carven oak chair he had been sitting on and stood directly in front of Thorin. He did not level himself to Thorin's height, as many rulers did so offensively, but merely stood respectfully as if he recognized the kingly blood that ran in Thorin's veins.

"Welcome to the Shire," He said, "My name is Ecthelion the Second, son of Turgon, Steward of Gondor."


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

 **Thank you Soooo much for sticking with me! This chapter is a little short because I'm getting back into the swing of writing. Reviews are appreciated!**

 _"My name is Ecthelion the Second, son of Turgon, Steward of Gondor."_

Thorin had been thrust into unknown territory before, and those situations had taught him that it always pays to be suspicious. As soon as he had entered the Shire, his gut instincts had been screaming danger. The quiet was too quiet; and the drastic contrast between buildings had put him on high alert. So when the supposed "Governor" of this strange place mentioned Gondor, he knew some part of Gandalf's plan had gone wrong. However, he kept his demeanor calm as he introduced himself and some of his companions.

"Gondor?" He heard Gloin whisper to Balin, "Gondor's six months journey from here. What are Gondorian Men doing in this place?"

Thorin wondered the same, but decided to wait to ask Gandalf's burglar rather than to seem too suspicious.

"We are only passing through to see a friend," He told the Governor, "We won't be long."

The Governor nodded and gestured to Baradaur to see them out. Once they were outside, Balin spoke, "Thorin, I don't like how this feels. Something's wrong here, Gondor shouldn't be this far out."

"I know," Thorin replied, "Let's get to Gandalf's burglar, maybe he'll have an explanation."

Balin agreed and the company of dwarves followed Thorin up the path to the biggest hill where Gandalf had said his mark would be.

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Ever since the old wizard appeared at his doorstep Bilbo had been weirdly uneasy. He jumped at every knock on his door and was extra careful whenever he received someone looking for help. It just so happened that the night he had decided to relax on was the night that everything went down. He had just sat down to a nice dinner of trout and mashed potatoes that Hamfast had fixed up when he heard a loud knock that sounded like someone was trying to break down his wonderful green door. Sighing, he put down his silver knife and fork and got up to answer it. Of course he never could have predicted the sight of twelve burly dwarves standing on his doorstep so as soon as he opened the door he put his hand to his mouth and whispered, "Oh dear Lord," to himself.

The dwarf in the front, the most majestic one with a full dark beard and stunning blue eyes, stepped inside without waiting for an invitation and said, "Master Burglar, I should say we have several questions for you."

"Burglar? No, I think you have the wrong house," Bilbo sputtered, trying to think of a way to get these intruders out, "You see, I am not…"

The dwarf cut him off, "My name is Thorin, Son of Thrain. We are here to discuss the particulars of your contract. Now, we have traveled long and my company is hungry. We were told there would be food?"

Bilbo couldn't help but nod, after all he was a perfect host, and show them to the kitchen where the other dwarves, too many to describe, delved into the larder while Thorin stood off to the side.

Bilbo spent the next hour trying to keep the dwarves from completely ruining his lovely hobbit hole. At the end, when all the dwarves had had their fill, there was food splattered across the floor and walls, beer spilled in the now-empty larder, and mud from their shoes tracked all around the house. He was exhausted and utterly done with dwarves for the rest of his life. He became a little cheerier after they cleaned up mostly after themselves but he still had many questions unanswered. He had just opened his mouth to address Thorin, who seemed to be the leader, when another booming knock echoed around the room.

Thorin turned towards the door and said ominously, "He is here," and nodded at Bilbo to go open the door. Behind it was Gandalf, looking particularly grave. He swept in leaving his pointed hat and staff at the stand near the door.

"Thorin, we must shorten this meeting," the wizard said grimly, "Things in the Shire are worse than I thought they were."

Thorin huffed, "You mean you knew what was going on and neglected to tell us?"

"I knew Gondorian men had taken control, but I did not know the darker things they were doing. Trust me when I say I would have told you if I thought things were this dangerous." Gandalf replied solemnly, "We must get Bilbo to sign the contract and leave before morning."

"Wait what contract?" Bilbo asked, fitting himself between the wizard and dwarf, "Gandalf what is all this? You come to visit and then all of a sudden I have dwarves flowing out my ears!"

Gandalf smiled at the indignant Hobbit, "My dear Bilbo, all will be explained. But first, would you mind telling Thorin and I what all has happened in the Shire?"

Thorin nodded, "Yes that would be much appreciated. But first, where are my nephews?"


	4. Chapter 4

"But first, where are my nephews?"

 **This is the first chapter I have written since I posted two years ago so my style is very different and probably not as good. I'm trying to get back on track so I will edit this later when I finish the fic.**

Dwalin stepped up, "I told them to go get the horses. Figured it would keep them busy."

Thorin glared at him, "You did this without consulting me?"

"Thorin," Balin raised his hands passively, "They'll be back soon, they just have to round up some horses."

Bilbo shook his head, drawing the attention of the Company. "You shouldn't have sent them out there after dark. It's not safe."

Gandalf frowned at the Hobbit, "Why not, Bilbo?"

...

The night air was cool and crisp on Kili's face as he raced through the Shire, Fili hot on his tail.

"Kili, slow down!" Fili yelled, trying vainly to keep up with his more fleet-footed sibling. Kili simply laughed and went faster, the wind blowing his hair back from his face as he ran down the hill stopping only once he had reached the bottom. Fili stumbled to a stop beside him after a few seconds, his breath heaving hard.

"Dwalin said to go collect the horses, not to run all the way there." Fili admonished, shaking the dust off his trousers.

"He did say to do it quickly." Kili shot back playfully, punching his brother on the shoulder then ducking when Fili swung back.

It was bordering on nightfall and the moon was at a crescent, giving very little light to see by; neither could see much in the distance but flickering torches illuminating the roads around Hobbiton. Both of them were to busy arguing to notice the dreary air of the small town and the lack of noise was filled with the ruckus the young dwarves made. Neither gave much thought to the consequences of the noise, and apprehension banished by the little they thought they knew about the place. Once they actually could see the wall that lead out of Hobbiton, Fili quieted a bit, noticing the still atmosphere and the lack of movement around him and Kili. Although it was nearly night time, shouldn't at least someone be out? It wasn't horribly late; the stars weren't even fully out yet.

"Kili, hush." He said, putting a hand out in front of his still-chattering brother. Kili looked at him worriedly and opened his mouth to say something, but Fili quickly slapped a hand over it.

"Don't say a word." The blond dwarf cautioned in a whisper, removing his hand from Kili's mouth when his younger brother nodded. "Good. I don't know why, but this place seems almost too quiet. We should be more careful."

Kili nodded again and they continued on, keeping silent this time. As they navigated the twisting paths attempting to find the gate again, the chill of the town became more noticeable. Fili continuously glanced over his shoulder and the nagging feeling of being watched increased with each step he took. Kili still seemed unaware, although he did seem less cheerful. The quietness became stifling and the limited light wasn't helping. Night was falling quickly and the shadows were almost pitch-black giving Fili more to worry about. Anything could be hiding in those shadows without him knowing it was there.

"Fili." Kili whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel like someone's watching us?"

"Yeah, but it's probably just our imaginations. Don't worry."

"Alright."

Silence fell once again. Neither dwarf was willing to break it again, so it remained whole. Fili continued to look over his shoulder periodically and was given a scare when a scrawny cat appeared in his line of vision. He mentally cursed himself for being so scared of the cat, then he tossed a rock at it, missing, but making it hiss rather intimidatingly.

"Leave the cat alone." Kili said, always in defense of animals whether or not they deserved it. Fili winced at how loud his brother was and shushed Kili again.

"Sorry." The smaller dwarf muttered, kicking a rock like a child would.

Once again, they focused on the road and their miniature quest. The feeling of being watched reappeared and stronger than before.

Suddenly, as if on instinct, Fili threw himself in front of his brother, knocking Kili to the side of the road. All that Kili heard was a soft whoosh and a thud before he tumbled down the bank on the edge of the road and blacked out.

...

"We need to find them, then." Dwalin announced, "If it's not safe out there..."

Balin calmed his brother and turned to Thorin, "I agree, but Thorin, we don't know anything about this place. We need to hear the burglar out first."

Thorn agreed, "Well, hobbit. What do you have to say?"

They turned to the hobbit who wished he could blend into the wall.

"What?" The nervous hobbit asked, although he was sure he knew exactly what.

Thorin approached him while talking, "Obviously the Shire isn't the same place Gandalf remembers. We'd like to know where these Men came from, and you are the only person who can tell us."

Bilbo gulped, he could be killed for talking to a stranger about this, but he knew he couldn't leave them in the dark.

"Alright," he said after talking a deep breath, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

As Bilbo opened his mouth to speak, a heavy pounding could be heard on his poor door.

"That'll be the boys." One of the dwarves stated matter-of-factly. Bilbo didn't care who it was as long as they stopped putting dents in his door.

As with Gandalf, the entire group of dwarves flooded over to the door and Thorin opened it saying, "Are you al-"He was cut short by the collective gasps around the room.

Behind the door was one dwarf, younger looking than the rest, with brown hair and a small beard. However, his hair was matted with blood and a nasty-looking wound cut across the side of his face. He was leaning heavily on the side of the door, his clothes were askew and faint traces of blood could be seen on them. The entire company stared at him and one word slipped out of his mouth before he slid down to the floor.

"Fili."

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it really makes my day :) Love y'all!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry this is short, but there wasn't really anything else to put. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, it really makes my day :) Love y'all!**

Bilbo felt like he was intruding on something private as he watched the young dwarf sob out his story and how, when he woke up, his brother hadn't been there and all that he had seen was a puddle of blood. He especially felt like he shouldn't be watching when he saw the stern, seemingly unfazeable Thorin panic over the welfare of his nephews. The worry on his face was enough to tell the observant hobbit that he cared deeply about his kin. While Oin, the self-named healer of the company, did his best to clean up Kili and deal with his shock, Thorin kneeled by the plush chair Kili was slumped in and held his hand through the whole process.

Once again, Bilbo was hiding up against the far wall trying to be as unnoticeable as possible. The rest of the dwarves and Gandalf had moved into the smaller second living room, leaving Bilbo, Thorin, Oin, and Kili in the main one. Thorin sat comforting Kili until the crying dwarf drifted off. As carefully as he could so he didn't wake Kili up, Thorin removed his hand and stood up.

"We must find Fili." He said, firm finality lacing his voice. He turned to Bilbo who wished he could sink into the earthy wall. "It's time the hobbit talked."

...

Since the information he was about to reveal was dangerous and should be heard by as few people as possible, Bilbo locked himself, Gandalf, and Thorin in the kitchen where all three could fit comfortably. Bilbo and Thorin sat by the square table while Gandalf remained standing, smoking his pipe. Although Balin had wanted to hear what Bilbo had to say, the hobbit had been firm in his decision that only the wizard and the leader of the Dwarves could be present. Thankfully, Thorin had agreed to those conditions.

Once the three were settled, Bilbo began to speak.

"What I am going to tell you needs to stay secret. It could be life-threatening for you and me if it ever got out that I told you the whole story."

"You are the first visitors in thirty years to my knowledge. The wall is the block between us and the outside world."

"They came came in the night. Two men, seeking shelter from a storm. We did not know that they were spies for a larger group, a whole battalion from Gondor. They had a map, a map that told of a last site for mithril, located here."

"My father was slain in the long battle for the Shire. Hobbits are quick footed, sure, but we have very little training for battle. They have ruled over us ever since. It's an easy life for them, fertile lands, good food, and slaves to do their bidding. We dig for them, dig deep into the hills, searching for the fabled mithril. They have yet to fin it, though."

"Even after taking over and makeing us theirs they weren't done. Soon they contacted their kin from the East and began a slave trade between here and there. Hobbits are nonexistent there, so the trading was highly successful. I don't know exactly what happens to people who are sent there, but I'd be willing to wager that's where your nephew is headed."

Thorin and Gandalf had been silent throughout the story and their expressions had changed from curiosity to horror. Gandalf was shocked that he hadn't heard of the plight of the hobbits and horrified that Gondor had so readily accepted slavery. Thorin was more sympathetic, he too had been torn from his homeland, but he didn't think he could stand beefing a slave.

"Mirthril." Thorin said, "What would they do with it? Even if they found it, they couldn't mine it and why would they be so despaired as to search for thirty years?"

Bilbo shrugged his shoulders, "I have no idea."

"What about you, Bilbo?" Gandalf asked, "you don't seem to be a slave."

"I was one of the lucky ones." Bilbo explained, "My master was elderly and kind, after he died he set me free and left my old home to me."

Thorin nodded gravely, thinking about his nephew in slave traders hands. Gandalf put out his pipe and said, "well, now that we have a rough idea of what might have happened to Fili, let us try to think of a way to rescue him!"


	6. Chapter 6

**The other chapter probably could have been combined with this one, but it wasn't so here's another short one. Thank you for reading and please review! Your input matters a lot to me!**

Pain.

That was the first thing Fili felt. A searing pain that spread through his leg like fire.

Thirst.

That was the second thing he noticed. His dry lips were cracked and he could feel a thin trickle of blood run down his mouth. Hunger hadn't reached him yet, but it would.

All he could see was endless black and he panicked a bit before realizing he hadn't opened his eyes yet. Idiot, he thought to himself. After he opened his eyes, he could see a bit of blue, but that was it. Pain and thirst momentarily forgotten, he scrunched his eyebrows together trying to pierce the annoying shade of blue that stubbornly remained in front of him. Then he realized that it was a piece of blue cloth tied around his head.

Why do I have a blindfold on? He wondered.

Remembering Thorin's training, he focused on his other senses. Pain dominated his leg, but he could kind of touch the floor, which he discovered was wooden and covered in splinters.

That's a start, he encouraged himself, now hearing.

If he strained his ears hard enough he could hear faint voices, so he wasn't alone. That was about all he could get without being able to see, so he tried to remember how he had gotten there.

He was with Kili, they were getting horses... Wait, Kili! Where was Kili?

He panicked and tried to thrash around only to find that he was tied tight with strong ropes. He tried to roll over but regretted it when the pain in his leg flared up. Wincing, he lay still and listened to the people outside. Or what he thought must be outside.

Almost a half hour later, he heard a door open and footsteps clicking until they were right beside him.

A familiar voice chuckled, "Well, well, well. What have we got here?"

Fili tensed, listening attentively and waiting for any sign that he had a chance of escape.

"Dwarves in the Shire? What a rarity." The voice continued, "What are we going to do with you and your little band?"

"Where's my brother?" Fili managed to rasp out, his voice hoarse from disuse and lack of liquid, "What have you done to Kili?"

"Hmm. Wouldn't you like to know." The person teased cruelly. Fili heard them kneel down and his blindfold was removed. He blinked against the bright sunlight streaming in from the windows and when he could see again he recognized the man beside him.

"Ecthelion?" The dwarf exclaimed with surprise, the man had seemed rather calm and polite when they had first met and not the type to kidnap people.

"It's Governor to you, dwarf." The Man spat, his eyes darkening with anger. He drew a knife out of his belt and cut the ropes securing Fili's feet, leaving his arms tied tight. "Come on." He dragged Fili up but the dwarf collapsed again with the pain of his leg. The Governor huffed and went to the door shouting, "Baradaur!"

The lanky servant came in quickly and Ecthelion glared at him, "Why has no one taken care of this slave's leg? He needs to be perfect for the Gondorian markets."

Baradaur bowed several time, "Sorry, m'lord. It slipped my my mind, won't happen again m'lord."

"It better not!" The Governor snapped back before hauling Fili up again, "If you fall again..." The threat was left off.

Fili made sure he didn't. What if they had Kili? Oh Mahal, Thorin would be furious with him if anything happened to Kili.

He stumbled out of the small house with the Governor dragging him harshly along. Outside, the Shire was bathed in golden morning light, a beautiful sight. But Fili had no time to stop and stare when Ecthelion shoved him into a line of small Hobbits standing behind a large carriage that was being loaded up. Ecthelion stepped to the side, giving Fili a mean eye to remind him that they might have his brother and he better not try anything. Fili glanced over the scene and saw no way out so he stood there peacefully. When he was the last one in line, a guard grabbed his arms and shoved him into the carriage. Inside, Fili crashed to the floor, his leg no longer able to support his weight. The carriage door slammed shut and a call was given to the driver. Fili stared out at the Shire as the horses began to move and the carriage rolled out of the gate, away to Gondor.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **So this one is a bit rough, but I got it out. It is the second to last chapter, I'm almost finished! Thank you so much for all the reviews and such. Thank you especially to CoffeeRanger, your beautiful reviews kept me going :)**

It was late afternoon when Bilbo brought word of Fili. The dwarves were waiting anxiously around the dinning room table when he walked through the round door, bearing some shopping with him that he placed on the table for the dwarves to eat while he talked.

"They had him." The small hobbit reported, "But he left in one of their carriage this morning, headed toward Gondor." He looked down at his furry feet, "I'm sorry, but it'll be nearly impossible to find him now."

Thorin's face was set stubbornly as he stood up from his chair at the head of the table, "We'll find him, we have to."

Kili, who had woken up a few hours ago, tired and bruised, looked fearful, "How do we know which way they go? There are many roads to Gondor."

Bilbo directed them to his kitchen and took a map out of his pocket, spreading over the littler table. "I took this a few months ago. See, look here." He pointed to a route marked red on the map. "That's the way they go, every time. It's the fastest route to Gondor, but it still takes about three months. You could easily catch up on horses...or ponies."

Gandalf leaned over the map. "This goes straight across elven territory. Why have the Elves not done anything to stop this? Slavery is unacceptable to them."

"When have the elves ever helped?" Thorin scoffed, crossing his arms.

Gandalf shot him a stern glance. "The elves of Imladris are different than the elves you are familiar with, they would never tolerate this."

Bilbo shrugged and placed his elbows on the table, "Maybe they don't know? They rarely go out beyond their immediate borders."

Frowning, Gandalf shook his head and ran a hand through his grey beard. "Elves always know what happens in their lands. This just gets curiouser and curiouser." He turned to Thorin. "I could contact Lord Elrond and have his people delay the carriage. He would do at least that."

Thorin looked indecisive. On one hand, he despised elves and would rather die than accept their help, on the other, this was Fili. He would use all the help he could get to bring his nephew safely back. He made his decision, "Alright, you contact your elves, the company and I will ride out immediately." He turned to Balin. "Give the Hobbit the contract now, we will need him."

Balin fished around in the satchel strapped over his shoulder and pulled out a piece of paper that was rolled up tightly. Bilbo unrolled it when it was handed to him and quickly skimmed over the first few lines.

"What is this?" The hobbit questioned, "A quest? Fourteenth share? Evisceration? Gandalf, help." He gazed up at the wizard with large confused eyes. Gandalf chuckled, "This, my dear hobbit, is your chance to journey beyond the borders of the Shire. Your chance to make something of yourself."

Thorin waved his hand. "No matter what it is, sign it and let's get going."

Bilbo read the paper again, shrugged, and signed the bottom with the quill Balin had provided. "There, happy?"

Thorin nodded curtly and stuffed the contract into his pack. He then strode to the door and beckoned the other dwarves and Bilbo to follow, "Come, we mustn't waste any time!"

...

Fili sat facing the door as the bumpy carriage drove through the Shire out onto the forest road. He watched as the giant wall slowly disappeared over the horizon along with the sun. By the time it was dark, they were deep within the forest, the road eerily quiet and the sky completely black. When he could no longer see out, he collapsed against the wall of the carriage and winced as his leg throbbed painfully. The hobbits across from him looked on sympathetically and one of them tore the bottom of his shirt off and scooted forward to wrap it around the now-bleeding wound.

"Thanks." Fili said, holding the crossed part down so the hobbit could tie it tight, "My name's Fili."

"Proudfoot, Kilo Proudfoot." The hobbit introduced himself, checking to make sure the makeshift bandage covered the wound entirely, "And you're welcome."

"Where are they taking us, Kilo?" Fili questioned.

"Gondor." Kilo answered, scooting back against the opposite wall, "I see you don't know much about how the Shire works nowadays."

Fili shook his head. "No, I've never been here before. I was just here for a quick stop before... Well, I wasn't expecting this."

The Hobbit chuckled cynically, "No, no visitor does. The Shire supposed to be safe and quiet. But ever since the Ranger's left..." He shook his head, "Well, you can see what happened."

"The Rangers?" Fili asked, "Who are they?"

"Men, well, Dunedain to be precise. They protected the Shire, kept dangerous outsiders out. They just disappeared one day and then Gondorian men showed up and took over. Don't know what happened to them. Dead, I'd presume."

Fili looked down at the floor, "Gondor, what'll they do to us there?"

"Enslave us. Hobbit's are a rarity there, but dwarves are more useful. I'm sure you'll get taken right up." Kilo bit his lip, "My daughter's there. Maybe I'll see her, one day..."

Fili could hear the sadness in the hobbit's tone and fell silent.

...

The carriage stopped at night for food and water, the men roughly giving out rations, but one afternoon, six days in, if Fili's counting was correct, the carriage jolted to a halt in the middle of the day. The stop startled Fili awake and he immediately crawled to the front of the carriage, peering out through the wooden slats to the outside. He could see the driver dismounting from seat and walking towards the horses, but he couldn't see much more. He pressed his ear to the wood and listened.

"Hey! What're you doing?" The driver was protesting and Fili heard another voice, this one clear and bright, speak.

"By the order of Lord Elrond, this carriage is hereby detained until further notice."

The driver scoffed, "Oh, come on. We have a deal with your elf lord, our carriages get to pass with no interruption."

"Lord Elrond has commanded that we stop the one, and we will. Now step aside, we need to see the back."

The driver began to protest louder, but the elf shouldered roughly past him and and broke the lock on the back door. Fili scrambled to the back as the door swung open, revealing a blond elf behind it.

"Ai, Gandalf was right." The elf muttered, "Bastards."

Fili took the lead and jumped out of the carriage, landing on his good leg. Kilo followed him and then the other hobbits, all with grins on their faces. The hobbits lept out, many of them falling over and splaying their limbs across the soft grass, laughing gleefully. The driver looked on worriedly. The blond elf watched them too, a concerned expression on his face. Fili stepped up to him.

"I thank you for this, you have done these Hobbits a great service. But may I ask why?"

The elf quirked a smile, "The Grey Wizard can be very convincing."

Fili chuckled, "That he can be."


	8. Chapter 8

Epilogue

 **This is the last chapter! Thank you all for coming on this journey with me, i loved writing this and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Thanks so much for all of the reviews and follows and favs, they mean so much to me. This is the first fanfic I have ever finished and it feel so good to do so. Thank y'all so much :)**

The company rode for many days before they reached Rivendell where Fili raced to meet them, wrapping his little brother in a giant hug. Kili was practically crying with joy and Thorin clapped Fili on the back, smiling wider than Fili had ever seen.

"I was so worried." Kili said, "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Fili laughed, "I'll try not to."

Thorin watched his nephews for a while before turning to Gandalf, "I suppose now we ask for answers."

Gandalf nodded, "Yes, I would like to know some things." He walked over with Thorin and Bilbo to where Elrond was.

"My lord." The wizard tilted his head. Elrond already looked slightly guilty, but he returned the sign of reverence, "Gandalf."

"So," Gandalf said, giving Elrond his best disappointed stare, "Why exactly have you been letting slave traders enter your lands and carry hobbits over to Gondor."

"We didn't know..." Elrond began, and he raised his hand at Gandalf look of incredulousness, "I know, I know. We inspected the carriages at first, but there were only goods and such so we stopped. We cut corners and a world of hurt came from it. It wasn't very wise of us."

Gandalf rolled his eyes, "My friend, you have grown dull in your old age."

Elrond huffed, but said nothing until the blond elf that had stopped the carriage came up to him and whispered into his ear. Elrond nodded and relayed the news to Gandalf, Thorin, and Bilbo. "We've sent some elves to get rid of the men in the Shire and contacted Lady Galadriel about the slaves in Gondor. She will get those hobbits back home."

Gandalf looked a bit happier, "I hope this will make you sharper in the future. The world is no longer as safe as we though it was."

Elrond nodded grimly, "So it seems."

"By the way," Gandalf added, "Whatever happened to the Rangers?"

"They just disappeared one day," Elrond said sadly, "Estel with them."

Gandalf looked solemn, "That does not bode well for Middle Earth. We must look for them soon. But for now, we have a kingdom to take back."

 **Annnnd, that's it! Behind the Veil is finished! Let me know if you want a sequel thingy about where the Rangers went! I might want to write that if enough people are interested.**


End file.
